MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Instructor
Zvi H. Aronson, Ph.D. Phone: (201) 216-5032
Email: Zvi.Aronson@stevens.edu
Cell: (917) 607-3634
Texts
Required
 Whetten & Cameron (2010) Developing Management Skills, 8th edition. Prentice Hall
ISBN # ISBN-13: 978-0136121008
 Pinto, J.K., Thoms, P., Trailer, J. Palmer, T. Govekar, M. (1998). Project Leadership: From Theory
to Practice. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute Headquarters.
ISBN #1- 880410-10-9
Articles
 Zaleznik A., (1992). Managers and leaders: Are they different? Harvard Business Review, MarchApril, 1992. Product # 8334
 Kotter, J.P. (1990). What leaders really do. Harvard Business Review, May-June, 1990. Product
#3820
Recommended but not required
 Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
ISBN # - 0-13-032312-8
Course Objectives



Introduce and describe key skills and competencies associated with leading others in a project
management environment
Provide you with opportunities to learn about your own strengths and development needs associated
with these skills
Familiarize you with key theories and principles relating to the study of leadership and the human side
of project management.
Course Requirements and Overview
This course explores the “human side” of project management. It introduces and describes current
thinking and research on the skills, qualities and attributes needed to successfully lead others in a projectbased environment. A significant emphasis is placed upon interpersonal competencies and skills required
for leading and motivating groups/teams. On one hand, the principles and concepts discussed in this
course are based upon theory and research and it is hoped that by the end of this course you will have a
deeper theoretical and conceptual understanding of project leadership. On the other hand, for many of
you, this course is likely to be a departure from other courses that you have taken. The focus here is on
facilitating your awareness and understanding of your own abilities. In other words, YOU are the main
subject of this course. A significant portion of your learning will occur through completion of selfassessment activities, participation in role-plays and simulations, discussion with others, and even through
providing feedback to your classmates.
Grades will be based on the 400 points distributed across the following factors, each of which is described
below.
Contents based on 2014 Syllabus by P. Dominick – Used in collaboration
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Participation (100 points)
Given the interactive and experiential nature of this course, regular on-line participation is a critical
course requirement. You will be required to participate in all group discussions, keep up with reading
assignments and participate in assigned class activities. You will also be required to participate, both as
an individual and as part of a discussion group / team, in activities designed to provide you and your
classmates with theoretical knowledge and experiential feedback on project leadership. These activities
will include questionnaires, surveys, cases analyses and simulations. Expect to spend at least 5-6 hours
each week working with course material.
Please note: In order to gauge participation it should be contained as much as possible to
the Moodle discussion forum. If there are group meetings (physically or virtually), make
sure that someone posts the minutes with the participating members within your team’s
discussion area so that I am aware of the efforts being made.
Reading assignments - Weekly topics and their associated readings are listed on page 4 of this outline.
The readings will be used in that week’s assignments. As a web-based course you will have more
flexibility than is typically the case with a traditional classroom course. However, I want to stress that it
is critical for you to keep up with reading assignments on a weekly basis. You will need to do so in order
to complete assignments and to participate in your discussion groups.
I will be posting weekly lecture slides to the course website, which you should also review. In addition,
to elaborating on your reading assignments, these weekly lectures will typically include discussion
assignments for you to complete with others (see the section on discussion groups below). Although the
week starts on Tuesday, I will make every effort to post this information by the Monday before in order to
give you the benefit more time for each assignment.
I will also be posting a weekly note. In these notes, I will update you on logistical issues (such as when
assignments are due or when quizzes will be posted). I will also typically include an introductory
paragraph or two on the topic for a given week. You will find these notes in the “Course Notes and
Related Materials” on the homepage for the course and in the weekly discussion board and it is important
that you review them along with the material for that week.
Assessment exercises - Part of your participation grade will be based upon timely completion of a variety
of assessment exercises. A majority of these assessments will occur within the first few weeks of the
course. Most of these are self-assessments however; there is one multi-source assessment tool which will
require you to get input from others with whom you work.
We have created a web site that contains most of these assessment exercises in a format that will enable
you to complete them quickly and efficiently https://stevens.virtualmentor.co/login (Later this week you
will receive an email that provides you with information on how to login and access). In addition, the
majority of these assessment tools can be found in your Whetten and Cameron. I recommend however,
that you complete these assessments online. It will save you time. However, remember to also print out
your results from these online assessments as later you will need them for class exercises and papers.
Please take a moment to print your result or save them electronically. You will need these for your
assignments.
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Discussion groups – As a class you will be working as a team/ group throughout the semester.
Leadership responsibilities for your discussion group will be rotated among the team members on a more
or less weekly basis. When the class is large, we will have two leaders per week, or, shared leadership.
As an individual team member, your responsibilities include serving as a team leader (on a rotating basis)
and also regularly posting your weekly responses to discussion questions or other assignments. You are
expected to post your individual responses within four days from the scheduled date of the weekly lecture
is posted. As most lectures and associated assignment are scheduled for Tuesdays, you should complete
and post your response by the following Friday. The reason for this time requirement is that in most cases
your team will also need to submit a collaborative response, which I will expect to receive before the end
of the week (the following Sunday).
When serving as a team leader your responsibilities will include promoting participation from everyone
and overseeing your team’s effort for that week to ensure that a group response is completed and
submitted. In some cases, you may find it helpful to divide up portions of an assignment amongst your
team members and the leader is typically the one who coordinates such efforts.
Your weekly assignment will not be graded per se, but expect to receive feedback in response to your
team’s submissions each week. In addition, I will be checking in on your discussion team each week in
order to gauge individual participation and to get a sense on how people are doing with course material.
Interactions with faculty - You should feel free to contact me anytime with questions or comments about
course content or requirements. You may do so via email, phone and or in person if you are on or near
campus at some time during the semester. In addition, your regular feedback on how the course is going
for you is appreciated.
Skills Analysis Paper (U Inc.) (120 points)
An assessment of your strengths and development opportunities in relation to the skill areas discussed in
class and in relation to your overall objectives. See page eight of this syllabus for more specific
guidelines for completing this analysis.
Skills Development Paper (120 points)
A detailed plan outlining the steps and actions you will take to capitalize on your strengths and improve
on other skills you identified in your Skill Analysis Paper. See page ten of this syllabus for more specific
guidelines on this requirement.
Exams and Quizzes (60 points across two quizzes)
There will be two brief exams/quizzes throughout the course. Each will focus on specific theories and
principles covered in the required reading and reviewed in lecture postings. None of these will be
cumulative. Quizzes will typically be open book however; you are expected to complete them on your
own. They will usually remain posted for about one week however, once you log-on to Moodle to
complete the quiz there will be a time limit for completing it (typically one hour and thirty minutes).
Therefore, plan on taking the quizzes during times when you will be relatively free from interruptions.
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Using My Virtual Mentor
Please use your Stevens’ email to log in at https://stevens.virtualmentor.co/login. Click on forgot
password to create your password.
Once you access the site, you will see several steps you need to follow.
Step 1 asks you to provide some demographic information. –Providing this information will help us
further develop this tool but you are not obligated to provide it. (This should take about two minutes)
Step 2 will take you to a page that lists the assessments you need to complete.
You will be able to access a results report for each assessment you complete. You can get to the reports
by clicking on the Reports button at the top of the web page. Your reports will be saved online but I also
recommend that you save a copy of your report to your computer. (Completing this step should take less
than 30 minutes). Be sure to save the feedback reports these assessments generate
Step 3 will ask you to invite others to evaluate your leadership skills. This is a multi source survey (360
Degree) feedback survey. Such instruments are common in organizations today. The idea is to provide
users with constructive behavioral feedback based upon input from several different sources (e.g. peers,
bosses, subordinates and in some cases even customers).
Specifically, you will need to complete the survey yourself and then also invite others to provide you with
feedback. You need to get feedback from at least three other people in order to receive a feedback report
and should try to invite more than that (8-10 is ideal). You will be able to enter the names and email
addresses of the people you wish to invite and the system will send them your invitation. Identify people
you trust and whose feedback you will value.
Be sure however, to follow up with your feedback providers to make sure they received your invitation.
In particular if any of your feedback providers use Gmail email accounts remind them to check their spam
folders for this invitation.
Step 4 – Will help you to summarize your feedback information and to establish personal development
goals. Completing these activities associated with this step will help you to prepare your Skills
Development Paper which is due at the end of the semester. Plan to complete Step 4(1) and Step 4(2) first.
You can work on the other parts of step 4 as the semester proceeds but it must be filled in prior to
submitting your Skills Development Paper.
Step 5 – Provides you with resources to help you monitor your efforts to accomplish the goals you
establish. For example you can receive reminder emails and keep a log of your progress and the obstacles
you encountered. Maintaining this log is optional but you are encouraged to use it.
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Course Outline and Reading Assignments
08/26
Week 1
09/02
Week 2
Course Overview and Introduction – Orientation
Readings /Assignment : MSQ and SSS Software in-basket assigned (due in two weeks- Week 3 of
class)
Behavioral and Trait perspectives on managerial work
Readings /Assignment : Whetten & Cameron - (pp. 1-23); Pinto (Chapter 1), Zaleznik A., (1992).
Managers and leaders: Are they different? HBR; Kotter, J.P. (1990) What leaders really do.
HB Review; Recommended - Yukl – Chapters 3 & 7
09/09
Week 3
09/16
Week 4
Review of MSQ and SSS Software
Readings / assignment: MSQ and SSS Software in-basket due
The in-basket is in Whetten Chapt. 1; MSQ –peer feedback:https://stevens.virtualmentor.co/login
Self Awareness and Managerial Effectiveness
Readings /Assignment: Whetten & Cameron (Chapter 1); Pinto (Chapter 7); Assessment website:
https://stevens.virtualmentor.co/login
09/23
Week 5
Communication and Coaching: A foundation for influencing
Reading / Assignment: Whetten & Cameron (Chapter 4); Pinto (Chapter 3)
Influencing (with or without formal authority)
Reading assignment: Pinto (Chapter 9); Whetten & Cameron (Chapter 5); Recommended - Yukl,
(Chapter 6) U Inc. paper due
Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills
Readings / Assignment: Whetten &Cameron (Chapter 7,);
Building Effective Teams
Reading /Assignment: Whetten & Cameron (Chapter 9;); Pinto (Chapter 6),
Decision-making and Creative Problem-solving
Reading /Assignments: Whetten & Cameron (Chapter 3); Pinto (Chapter 8)
Coping with Stress
Reading / Assignment : Whetten & Cameron (Chapter 2)
Leadership Development and Planning
Reading / Assignment: Yukl, (Chapter on leadership development –to be provided);
Quiz #1 available
11/ 11
Leadership: Overview of theoretical perspectives (Situational/Contingency)
Week 12 Reading/ Assignment: Pinto,(Chapter 2); Recommended - Yukl (Chapter 8)
09/30
Week 6
10/ 07
Week 7
10/14
Week 8
10/ 21
Week 9
10/ 28
Week 10
11/ 4
Week 11
11/18
Week 13
11/25
12/2
Week 14
Leadership: Overview of theoretical perspectives (Charismatic and Transformational)
Reading /Assignment: Pinto, (Chapter 4-5, 10); Recommended - Yukl (Chapters 9, 15)
Thanksgiving Recess
Summary and Wrap-up:
Assignments: Submit development Plan
Quiz #2 available
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Week 01: Course Overview and Orientation
Academic Mission:
Provide an overview of course requirements and methodology, introduce basic course framework and
orient you to the assessments and the role they play.
Practical Mission:
Prepare you for becoming active learners and begin promoting a collaborative environment.
Week 02: Behavioral and Trait Perspectives
Academic Mission:
Present key distinctions between management and leadership and introduce basic frameworks used to
study managerial and leader effectiveness.
Practical Mission:
Recognize how both management and leadership apply to the role of project manager. Develop the
ability to analyze and interpret leadership/management in behavioral terms.
Week 03: Review of In-Basket exercise and Multisource Feedback Survey
Academic Mission:
Introduce you to two valid and frequently used leadership development tools; in-basket exercises and
multisource feedback. This includes conveying the theoretical basis for their effectiveness.
Practical Mission:
Help process responses to the in-basket exercise and the feedback they received from their co-workers
through multi-source feedback survey.
Week 04: Self-Awareness
Academic Mission:
Introduce some key traits, attitudes, and behavioral characteristics that have been proven to predict leader
and managerial effectiveness in organizations. Appreciate the relationship between personal values and
ethical project leadership.
Practical Mission:
Help you understand where you stand in relation to key traits and values that relate to project leadership.
Week 05: Communication and Coaching: A Foundation for Influencing
Academic Mission:
Introduce basic principles of interpersonal communication with an emphasis on their role in influencing,
leading, and building relationships.
Practical Mission:
Practice applying principles of supportive communication, coaching, and counseling as they relate to
sharing and discussing work performance and building commitment on the part of team members.
Week 06: Influencing with or without formal authority
Academic Mission:
Understand sources of power, the nature of influence, relationships between power and leadership, and
the role of politics in project performance.
Practical Mission:
Analyze your own sources of power and develop plans for enhancing them. Practice applying
interpersonal influence techniques.
Week 07: Conflict Management and Negotiation
Academic Mission:
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Understand basic models for analyzing sources of conflict, conflict management styles, and approaches to
negotiation as they relate to teams and project management.
Practical Mission:
Analyze your own behavioral styles of conflict management and practice applying principles of
integrative negotiations.
Week 08: Building Effective Teams
Academic Mission:
Understand basic structural components of teams and group process and development, including the role
of leadership in facilitating team development and effectiveness.
Practical Mission:
Develop your ability to apply leadership techniques for evaluating and enhancing team process during the
life of project.
Week 09: Decision-making and Creative Problem-Solving
Academic Mission:
Understand the basic cognitive and social processes that affect decision-making and creativity.
Practical Mission:
Develop your ability to apply problem-solving and creative thinking skills as project leaders and to
facilitating others use of these skills.
Week 10: Stress Management
Academic Mission:
Understand basic causes/sources of stress faced by project managers and team members and become
familiar with techniques for managing them.
Practical Mission:
Recognize current sources of stress with which they are personally dealing and to develop skills and plans
for dealing with them.
Week 11: Leadership Development
Academic Mission:
Understand the role of leadership development in organizations.
Practical Mission:
Learn how to analyze the nature and effectiveness of leadership development programs within your
organizations.
Week 12: Situational/Contingency Perspectives
Academic Mission:
Understand key components of major situational leadership theories and how they apply to project
management.
Practical Mission:
Develop the ability to identify and analyze project and organizational characteristics that might impact
your effectiveness as project leaders.
Week 13: Transformational and Charismatic Perspectives
Academic Mission:
Understand distinctions between charismatic and transformational leadership and appreciate how this
point of view relates to other perspectives on leadership.
Practical Mission:
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
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Recognize the role transformational leadership plays in managing projects.
Week 14: Course Wrap Up
Academic Mission:
Complete final course quiz and submit Skill Development Papers.
Practical Mission:
Provide you with a workable skill development plan for ongoing leadership development efforts.
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Skills Analysis Paper -- ‘U Inc.’
This paper will be a self-analysis of your management skills. As you prepare the paper, I want you to
think of a corporate annual report as a metaphor -- that is, you will be writing a report about ‘U Inc.’ (as
an example, if I were writing the paper it would be titled ‘Aronson, Inc.’).

Your report should begin by providing a mission statement. Why are you doing what you are doing
(in life, not merely in graduate school)?

You should provide a vision statement. Where are you going? What do you hope to be doing (in your
career and perhaps other aspects of your life) in 5 years, 10 years?

Then you should provide statement of values. What are the principles that govern your behavior?
Some of you may argue that you do not have a mission, vision, or values. This observation would
be an interesting topic for additional reflection.
Next, I want you to describe your current status of ‘U Inc.’

What are your assets (strengths)? What are your liabilities (limitations or weaknesses)?
The description of your assets and the description of your liabilities should comprise the most
extensive and detailed section of the paper. This section of the paper should describe and integrate
feedback you have received based on (a) surveys and instruments in your text, (b) the assessment
exercises (including student and instructor feedback), (c) coworker feedback, (d) student feedback
from class exercises and discussions, (e) instruments completed in class (e.g., burnout inventory,
strength deployment inventory, personality inventory), and (f) the in-basket exercise.

What is your customer base?
What people, groups, or organizations are currently interested in the skills and products you offer?
You can define ‘customers’ very broadly -- internal and external to your employer, paid work or
community service, family, interests, etc. Also discuss your potential customers.

What is your product line?
What do you offer others? Are your offerings narrow (specialized) or broad (generalist)? How do
you differentiate your products from those offered by others? What is special or unique? To what
extent are you creating a ‘product line’ that offers you a sustained competitive advantage (in the
career marketplace or elsewhere) because what you offer is not easy for others to imitate and
therefore adds unique value?
Next, I want you to look back over the past several years?

What capital investments have you made in ‘U Inc.’? How profitable has ‘U Inc.’ been?
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Is ‘U Inc.’ more valuable today than it was one year ago? Three years ago? What measures do
you use to assess your profitability? …Feedback from others (If so, who, how often?)?
…Performance appraisals? …Benchmarking? Is your income (earnings) your only measure?
What other measures do you need to develop?
Next, I’d like you to look forward. What is your plan for the next 12 months?

What are your growth objectives? What measures will you use to track your progress?
In this part of the paper, you should identify two skills that you want to improve. Try to select one
skill that you think you have a high likelihood of being able to improve at least modestly over the
course of 5 or 6 weeks (i.e., during the semester). I also encourage you to select another skill that
will require you to ‘stretch,’ where progress will require greater effort, time, and attention. Your
Skill Development Paper (Parts A and B) will describe your efforts to improve these two skills
during the course of the semester. Therefore, select only skills that you will have a reasonable
opportunity to improve. For example, it makes no sense to focus on your presentation skills if you
will have no opportunity to practice and demonstrate such skills. Provide your rationale for
selecting the two skills. How will improving your skill in these two areas help your career or
make you a more effective manager? For each of the two skills you selected, briefly describe your
current level of competence.
Bottom line -- describe how you will invest in ‘U inc.’
A few final thoughts; as you write this paper, keep in mind that the following factors will be
considered when evaluating your work:
 Be comprehensive (i.e., do not limit your analysis to only a few skills).
 Be strategic
o Consider how your assets and liabilities relate to other aspects of your analysis (your
mission and values, your customer base, your development objectives, etc).
 Provide evidence to support each of your conclusions.
 Be specific
o Use detailed behavioral examples from your experiences in work, class, and other aspects
of your life.
o Provide specific information from surveys and instruments (e.g., percentile scores) from
the evaluations you have completed.
 Look for and describe interrelationships and or inconsistencies between various data sources
o Consider formal and informal feedback from multiple sources (e.g., peers, direct reports,
supervisors, mentors/coaches, faculty, and other students).
o Describe relationships between various surveys, class activities, and feedback.
 Demonstrate an understanding of course concepts and interrelationships between them.
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Skill Development Paper
You will prepare a Skill Development Paper that describes your efforts to improve the two skills
identified in your Skills Analysis Paper. The first part of this paper (Part A) will describe your efforts at
developing a skill where you think you can achieve meaningful short-term results. The second part (Part
B) will describe your initial efforts to develop a skill that is likely to require long-term, sustained
attention. When preparing this paper, I strongly encourage you to consider the questions provided in the
"Application Plan and Evaluation" sections that are located at the end of each chapter of your text.
This paper (and the other course elements related to it) will use an approach referred to as selfmanagement training. Research has shown that this approach is very useful for changing behavior and
improving performance. The framework for self-management consists of several elements.
Self- assessment involves systematic data gathering about the behavior(s) you wish to modify and
provides you with a means of interpreting and changing your behavior. The course and U Inc. paper are
designed to promote self-assessment on your part.
Goal setting - based on the behavior(s) identified during self-assessment, you establish goals (short- and
long-term). This provides direction for your efforts, avoiding what might otherwise be sporadic,
reactionary activity lacking a consistent, purposeful basis.
Self-monitoring is a process by which you maintain a record of your progress toward goal attainment. It
provides you with data regarding progress toward attainment of your self-set goals. These data
subsequently become the basis for self-evaluation.
Self-evaluation is the use of self-reinforcement and/or self-punishment strategies, based on your
performance relative to self-set goals. By providing rewards for achieving your goals, a positive
influence on future actions can be exerted. Self-administered punishments attempt to reduce the
incidence of undesired behaviors.
Written contract refers to a written agreement with yourself that specifies expectations, plans, and
contingencies for the behavior to be changed. The contract is a precursor to administration of the selfmanagement program; it will prompt you to follow through on the planned course of action and serves as
an additional form of goal commitment.
Maintenance/relapse prevention includes identifying common problems and pitfalls in effectively
applying self-management techniques and developing procedures for overcoming these circumstances.
Identifying high-risk situations that may cause you to stop engaging in self-managing behavior can help
prevent relapses by helping you to learn to recognize and avoid or overcome these potential drawbacks.
Each part of your Skill Development Paper should address each of these aspects of self-management
training.
First, prepare a written contract (personal development plan), preferably following the format (and
example) provided on page twelve of this syllabus.
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
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In doing so, you will identify the skill that you want to improve. Note: this skill was identified in your ‘U
Inc.’ paper. State your goals. Describe, in detail, your plan to improve the skill. What obstacles or
roadblocks might you encounter and how can you overcome them? Describe how you will measure your
progress? For example, what will others be able to observe you doing (after you change your behavior)
that they do not observe you doing now? You should carefully consider how you will measure your
efforts to change. You will need to provide evidence to support your conclusion concerning the extent of
skill change that occurred during the semester1. How will you reward yourself if you make progress? It
is very important that the plan be detailed and specific.
Second, keep a record of your progress. In some instances, this record can be placed in an appendix to
this paper.
Third, describe the steps you took and the activities you engaged in to improve your skill in this area.
You do not need to show that you improved your skill; but you must describe the efforts you made to do
so.
Fourth, describe how your skill at the end of the semester compared to your skill at the beginning of the
semester. It is not sufficient to state, "My presentation was much better received than my previous
presentations." Instead, describe precisely what you did differently. Offer examples of specific feedback
you received on different occasions. If your goal was to increase the frequency with which you provide
informal, positive reinforcement to your subordinates, then you might keep a daily log or tally concerning
your behavior in this area. Remember that your grade is NOT affected by the amount of progress you
made toward your goal, so there is no need to exaggerate your successes or minimize your frustrations
with skill development.
Fifth, present a long-term (e.g., one-year) plan to continue to improve your skills. This should include
specific activities and situations in which the skill will be practiced. You should identify any obstacles or
circumstances that may make it difficult to improve your skills. Also include specific guidelines and time
frames for evaluating your progress.
1
The importance of measuring the extent of your behavior change (e.g., via feedback from co-workers or other means) cannot
be overstated. In order to help you determine how to obtain feedback or how to measure your progress, I encourage you to
speak with me for a few minutes after you have initially selected the skills you will try to improve. You may e-mail or call me
at my office or cell. This brief conversation should help ensure that you have considered and selected appropriate sources of
feedback to help guide your progress.
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MGT 612 The Human Side of Project Leadership
Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
Written Contract: Your Personal Development Plan
(Note: Create a separate contract for each development goal.)
Specify your development
goal. Make sure it is
challenging, specific,
measurable, and realistic.
If the goal is complicated or
long-term, specify some
interim goals or milestones.
List any informal activities
(coaches, reading) that can
help you increase your skills
or change your behavior.
List any formal learning
resources or tools (courses,
CBT) that can help you learn.
List the steps you will take to
change your behavior.
Exactly what will you do?
How often? Where? When?
With whom?
What roadblocks or obstacles
are likely?
List alternatives that will help
you avoid or overcome these
obstacles.
How will you measure your
progress? How can you
obtain feedback to see if you
are improving?
What are the key target dates
or milestones?
How will you reward yourself?
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Management 612
Leading Projects: The Human Side of Project Management
Written Contract: A Sample Development Plan
Specify your development
goal. (Make sure it is
challenging, specific,
measurable, and realistic.)
If the goal is complicated or
long-term, specify some
interim goals or milestones.
List any informal activities
(coaches, reading) that can
help you increase your skills
or change your behavior.
List any formal learning
resources or tools (courses,
CBT) that can help you learn.
List the steps you will take to
change your behavior.
Exactly what will you do?
How often? Where? When?
With whom?
What roadblocks or obstacles
are likely?
List alternatives that will help
you avoid or overcome these
obstacles.
How will you measure your
progress? How can you
obtain feedback to see if you
are improving?
What are the key target dates
or milestones?
How will you reward yourself?
Provide useful performance feedback to each of my direct reports at least once per month. If
some direct reports would like more frequent performance feedback, then I would like to meet
their expectations as well.
Not applicable
Observe others who are known for being effective coaches. Ask them how they do it. Go to a
local bookstore and purchase a book on providing effective feedback, especially how to deal with
angry, unreceptive, or chronically poor performers.
Check the company’s training catalogue and/or web-site to identify appropriate companysponsored courses. See if my coach/supervisor will support my attending a one-day course (offsite).
Within 10 days, talk with each direct report to schedule one-on-one monthly meetings for each of
the next three months (e.g., first Monday of the month). Allow 30 minutes per meeting. Explain
that meetings will provide an opportunity for each direct report to discuss work-related matters
or her concerns with me, and for me to provide feedback about performance as well as other
company or department initiatives/changes. At each meeting, try to praise at least one specific
behavior/accomplishment. At each meeting, try to offer one constructive developmental
suggestion (a specific task or behavior that the person could do differently, more frequently, less
frequently, etc.). Close each meeting with an agreement about what follow-up activities each of
us will complete.
I have particular difficulty providing feedback when (a) my schedule is busy, (b) I am stressed or
angry because of other things, and (c) I am confronted with a poor performer who is unaware of
(or appears unreceptive to feedback about) his or her performance problems.
To try to avoid relapsing to my previous poor behavior in this area, I will
- schedule appointments to provide feedback and discuss other work-related matters (rather than
hoping I will find some convenient free time in my schedule to provide feedback), and
- ask others (for example, Paul and Susan, who are especially trusted colleagues) to point out
when I seem especially stressed, then remind myself of the importance of making an extra effort
to provide feedback to others at these times (and also remind myself that providing feedback at
difficult times helps me serve as a role model for what I want others to do with their direct
reports).
I will keep a weekly log that indicates whether I have provided formal or informal performance
feedback to each direct report. I will also make a note concerning how useful I thought the
feedback was.
I will ask my direct reports to complete an anonymous half-page survey each month. The survey
will ask how many times I have provided useful performance feedback during the previous month.
It will also ask for suggestions about how I can provide more useful feedback. Finally, it will ask
whether the direct report would prefer to receive feedback more often, less often, or at the
current level.
Check progress (from my written log) weekly. Gather monthly feedback from direct reports
about my progress in providing useful feedback. Schedule one-on-one meetings by April 15.
Begin meetings by first week in May. Collect feedback from direct reports by June 1 and every
month for 4 months thereafter.
For each month where I meet my goal (monthly feedback to each direct report), I will reward
myself by purchasing a CD of a jazz artist I enjoy. I will not purchase any CDs if I do not met my
goal. If I meet my goal AND the survey results indicate that direct reports viewed the feedback
as useful, then I will take my family to a special dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.
Contents based on 2014 Syllabus by P. Dominick – Used in collaboration
14
Management 612
Leading Projects: The Human Side of Project Management
Ethical Conduct
The following statement is printed in the Stevens Graduate Catalog and applies to all
students taking Stevens courses, on and off campus.
“Cheating during in-class tests or take-home examinations or homework is, of course, illegal and
immoral. A Graduate Academic Evaluation Board exists to investigate academic improprieties,
conduct hearings, and determine any necessary actions. The term ‘academic impropriety’ is
meant to include, but is not limited to, cheating on homework, during in-class or take home
examinations and plagiarism.”
Consequences of academic impropriety are severe, ranging from receiving an “F” in a course, to a
warning from the Dean of the Graduate School, which becomes a part of the permanent student
record, to expulsion.
Reference:
The Graduate School Catalog, Academic Year 2002-2003: Stevens
Institute of Technology, pp. 27-28.
Please note:
1. I believe that proper grammar and spelling are important. On those papers where
there is sufficient preparation time, please make every effort to present them
professionally. This is not critical when under pressure (timed quizzes) or when
the communication forum is informal by nature (chat/discussion forums).
2. Plagiarism is the act of presenting another’s ideas/words as your own. A question
that requests a specific author’s viewpoint may be answered with direct quotes.
When the follow-up question requests your analysis of that subject, it is
inappropriate to “capture” information from other sources and present it as the
total argument. Such information may, however, be used to support your position
provided it is properly cited.
3. This class by design is flexible. Please exercise good judgment in keeping up
with the assignments. In the event that additional time is needed (for any reason),
please give me the courtesy of advanced notice. The only target that is NOT
flexible is the end of the semester as I am only allowed three days to submit
grades.
Contents based on 2014 Syllabus by P. Dominick – Used in collaboration
15